More women join booming kayayei business

March 22, 2017

Head porters in the central business district of Accra say more women have been attracted into the business following the abolishment of the kayayei levy.

It is barely three weeks since the Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori Atta in his maiden budget statement to Parliament, announced the government’s resolve to scrap the daily levy imposed on head porters popularly known as “Kayayei”.

The move which is in fulfillment of the New Patriotic Party’s campaign promise to abolish what they called nuisance taxes, has attracted more women into the trade after the directive took full effect.

The abolished tax, according to government is intended to relieve Ghanaians of the tax burden to boost the country’s domestic income revenue generation.

Speaking to 3FM Business News, some head porters revealed that business has been fairly good for the past few days. They explained that they no longer pay the fifty pesewas demanded by the assembly on daily basis through the issuance of tickets, before the commencement of their business.

“Previously, we were buying a ticket in a form of toll for fifty pesewas but we no longer pay for any ticket. Now business is booming though a lot of people have come to join us. From morning to the evening we now get more than GHc20. Previously, we make GHc10 a day”.

However, some of them are also complaining about being shortchanged by some of their patrons who are taking advantage of the tax removal to pay below the normal service rate.

“Because of the tax cut, customers are reluctant to pay what is due us. They will want to pay GHc1 for a GHc2 service but if you decline the offer, the customer will rather prefer to carry the load themselves”.